The components of an injection molding machine typically include a stock supply assembly, an extruder assembly, an injection assembly, a mold assembly and a clamping assembly. In a typical molding process, the stock supply assembly supplies a certain amount of stock material to the extruder assembly. The extruder assembly plasticizes the stock material into injection material and conveys the desired amount of injection material to the injection assembly. Upon clamping of the mold assembly within the clamping assembly under the force necessary for successful molding, the injection assembly injects the injection material into a mold cavity within the mold assembly.
The mold assembly is usually formed by two selectively joinable/separable mold portions. When an insert molding procedure is used in an injection molding machine, the mold portions are initially separated and an unfinished insert is loaded into one of the mold portions. The mold portions are then joined together to form the mold cavity which may surround the insert. Once the mold cavity is formed, the mold assembly is clamped under the necessary force to hold the mold portions together during operation of the injection assembly, which injects the molding material into the mold cavity. One portion of the mold assembly is then removed and the molded product, including the insert, is unloaded from the mold cavity.
In such molding procedures, the injection molding machine is idle for significant periods of time because once the molding process is completed, the next molding operation cannot begin until unloading/loading steps are performed. Further, additional procedures may also be required in insert molding procedures to modify any disfigurement or misalignment in the inserts provided to the mold cavity. Such inserts are often bent during transport and are not provided to the mold cavity in an ideal condition for molding. In the event such inserts are sufficiently out of alignment, additional procedures may be required to rework or realign the inserts before molding. Additionally, the use of insert molding procedures typically require full opening of the mold portions to provide easy access for molded product removal and mold cleaning.